No Downgrading of South Tyneside Hospital!

The downgrading of South Tyneside Hospital announced in the “alliance" between South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust (STFT) and City Hospitals Sunderland (CHS) with loss of acute services, will be a disaster for the people of South Tyneside and also for the people of Sunderland whose access to acute services will also be affected by the closure of acute services in South Tyneside.

The “alliance” plans the removal of all acute services to Sunderland which will also make the A&E unsustainable. The Government is behind the NHS England plan to reduce more than 10 A&Es in the North East down to only 4 or 5. The immediate threat of this “alliance” is the loss of acute stroke services and Maternity in South Tyneside. The aim of this plan is likely to leave people in South Tyneside with essentially a “rehabilitation” hospital and everyone needing acute health care will have to travel to Sunderland, or Newcastle...

The context of this plan is the Government's whole direction that the NHS is being taken in deliberately reducing NHS funding both for the health service and human resources needed. This direction is wrecking the NHS through fragmentation into purchasers and providers, closure of acute hospitals and Accident and Emergency Departments, cut backs and the take over of the most profitable services by private health companies. This continued direction in the “5 year forward view” is reflected in the alliance STFT and CHS with the aim of closing acute services in South Tyneside Hospital and transferring these services out of our hospital.

We know that bringing people together irrespective of political opinion, into a campaign is how we can respond. What we stand for is that health care is a right!

1. Our stand is to safeguard the future of South Tyneside Hospital and its acute and emergency services.

2. We demand that the Government, NHS England, South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group and South Tyneside Health & Well-being Board stop any plans to close acute services at South Tyneside District Hospital and to safeguard its Accident and Emergency Service.

3. We demand the restoration of the duty of government to provide a comprehensive health service across England to all communities, providing the resources that are required and the training of doctors, consultants required for all acute and community services.

4. We demand the reverse of 25 years of marketisation in the NHS and the abolishment of the purchaser/provider split, and an end to contracting and establish public bodies and public services accountable to local communities.

5. Access to health care is a right of all in a modern society and we demand that it must be guaranteed.